Chapter 15 - Politics

Summary

Mark Twain’s politics changed over time, and people of all political persuasions find in his writing statements to corroborate their views. He was at some times conservative, but he also identified himself as a radical. The presidential election of 1884 was an important turning point in his politics. Although he was a Republican, he publicly broke with his party to support the Democratic nominee, Grover Cleveland, over the Republican nominee, James G. Blaine, whom he considered a corrupt politician. Joining the independent “Mugwumps,” he spoke at rallies in favor of Cleveland, who won a narrow election. In the 1890s and 1900s, Twain became increasingly outspoken, opposing the foreign policies of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, who once called Twain “the most dangerous man in America.”